[Mission 2024] INSIGHTS DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS + PIB SUMMARY 23 December 2023

GS Paper 2

 Syllabus: Government Policies and Interventions

Source: TH

 Context: The Parliament has passed the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023, simplifying the title allotment and registration process for periodicals.

Highlights of the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill (PRPB), 2023:

The current PRPB Act 1867 was aimed at curbing what the British Government thought was the role of the press in the “revolt of 1857”. It was introduced during the Viceroyship of Lord John Lawrence (1864-1869)

Difference between the two:

Benefits:

The new law aims to expedite the title registration process, reducing the time from 2-3 years to just 60 days, benefiting small and medium publishers. The Press Registrar General will play a key role in fast-tracking the process, eliminating the need for publishers to file declarations with local authorities.

Press rules during British Times:

The British introduced the printing press in India and multiple publications were brought out by both Indians and non-Indians. Both Indians and the British realized the potential of the press and while Indians sought to use it for generating awareness, the British sought to curb it. 

One of the earliest publications was the Bengal Gazette, which was seized in 1872 for its outspoken criticism. This is just the beginning of multiple setbacks to be faced by the Indian Press.

Setbacks Faced by Press

• Censorship of Press Act, 1799 was passed to impose wartime press restrictions as Wellesley anticipated French invasion.
• Licensing Regulations 1823 was passed, which stated that starting a press without a license was a penal offence. This was mostly directed against Indian publications.
• Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code introduced in 1870 provided for the offence of Any words signs or visible representations that could create any disaffection towards the British government were made a criminal offence.
• The Vernacular Press Act of 1878 was passed to control the publication in vernacular language. Under this law, the Magistrate was given extensive powers.
• The Newspaper (Incitement to Offences) Act, 1908 empowered Magistrates to confiscate press property if they believed it could incite violence.
• The Indian Press Act of 1910 imposed high-security deposits.
• Indian Press (Emergency Powers) Act 1931 was enacted to suppress political propaganda during the Civil Disobedience Movement. In addition to this, the Criminal Law Amendment of 1932 and the Official Secrets Act imposed further restrictions.
• The Press Regulating Act of 1942 made the registration of journalists mandatory.

As a result of these restrictive laws, the Indian Press suffered. Multiple publications were seized and many journalists/nationalists were arrested. For instance, Surendranath Banerjee was the first Indian journalist to be imprisoned. Similarly, Tilak was arrested after the murder of Rand stating that his publication ‘Shivaji Utterances’ incited the act.

Contribution of the Indian Press

It was realized by nationalists that the Press is a good medium through which they can reach the masses, generate opinion and mobilize them. The Hindu, The Bengalee, Voice of India, and Amrita Bazaar Patrika among others are some examples of Indian publications. Their role or contribution can be summarized as follows:

• Raised the political consciousness of the masses.
• The impact was so widespread that it reached even the remotest of villages.
• Newspaper articles and editorials were read and discussed in local libraries.
• The press acted as an institution of opposition to the government.
• They helped the masses understand the true nature of British Rule.
• Indian Press adopted innovative methods to circumvent the restrictions such as becoming English newspapers overnight to not attract Vernacular Press Laws or publishing artists printed by Irish nationalists etc.

Insta Links: 

• Role of Press and Publications

Content for Mains Enrichment

Source: IE

 Context: The newly released Shahrukh Khan-Rajkumar Hirani film “Dunki” addresses immigration and the challenges faced during “donkey journeys.”

What is Donkey Journey?

“Donkey journey” refers to the perilous and lengthy routes that individuals around the world undertake to immigrate to new places. These journeys are often challenging due to a lack of legal permits or financial resources.

Example: People from Haryana try to reach the USA illegally by first going to Ecuador and then travelling by land through Mexico to reach the USA. Similarly, people from Punjab try to reach Canada illegally by traversing through several countries. The journey is dangerous and very risky.

About Passports:

Passports have historical roots, with mentions in the Hebrew Bible and established systems in countries like France and the UK. Modern passports emerged due to the British Nationality and Status of Aliens Act in 1914, featuring photographs and distinguishing features. The League of Nations’ 1920 conference aimed to standardize passport regulations, influencing the common British system. In the 1920s, the US enacted immigration laws tied to passports, limiting inflows. Despite initial discomfort, passports have endured as a vital aspect of modern citizenship.

Usage: For the “Donkey Journey,” you can relate it to contemporary issues such as illegal immigration, human trafficking, and the challenges faced by individuals seeking to migrate for better opportunities. This example can be employed in answers addressing socio-economic issues, global migration trends, and the complexities of international borders.

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: BT, NDTV

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: DTE

Context: A recent study published in the American Meteorological Society’s Journal of Hydrometeorology reveals that peninsular river basins in India, including Narmada, Mahanadi, and Godavari, face a higher likelihood of widespread flooding compared to transboundary rivers like Ganga and Brahmaputra.

• The Narmada basin has the highest probability (59%) of widespread flooding.
• Other basins with notable probabilities of widespread flooding include Mahanadi (50%), Godavari (42%), Krishna (38%), and Cauvery (19%).
• Ganga and Brahmaputra, as transboundary river basins, have lower probabilities of widespread flooding, at 21% and 18%, respectively.

Reasons: 

Drivers of widespread flooding are associated with atmospheric rivers, large atmospheric circulations carrying moisture from the tropics to extratropic. Events like the 2018 Kerala floods, the 2022 Pakistan floods, and the lower Mississippi River floods in 2008, 2011, and 2015–19 were linked to atmospheric rivers.

What are Atmospheric rivers?

They are long, narrow regions of the atmosphere that transport water vapour from the tropics to the poles. They can be 250–375 miles wide and over 1,000 miles long. When atmospheric rivers make landfall, they can contribute significantly to precipitation.

Difference between the Himalayan and Peninsular River System:

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: ET

 Context: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has launched Project PRAYAS (Promoting Regular & Assisted Migration for Youth and Skilled Professionals) in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs.

About Project Prayas:

• The project aims to facilitate safe, orderly, and regular migration for Indian workers and students.
• It consolidates state-level initiatives and focuses on improving coordination between state and central governments.
• The project involves studying migration trends, understanding migrants’ needs, and launching initiatives to raise awareness about safe migration processes, with the goal of strengthening international migration governance.

India has a vast diaspora exceeding 32 million globally as of December 2021. It is the world’s top recipient of remittances. India ensures the welfare of its diaspora through initiatives like pre-departure orientation training, the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) for assistance in distress, the MADAD Portal for grievance redressal, and the Know India Programme, exposing the young diaspora to contemporary India.

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: WB

 Context: The World Bank released the International Debt Report (IDR).

What are debts?

Debt refers to an obligation or financial liability that one party owes to another. It is typically in the form of borrowed funds that need to be repaid over time, often with interest.

• India’s total debt is around 81%, but most of it is domestic debt. India’s external debt is around 18.6% (around USD 624 billion at the end of March 2023), as per the RBI data.

Important Points:

• Public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) debt service payments by Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) reached over US$443 billion in 2022, posing a risk to their financial sustainability.
• Rising interest rates and unfavourable exchange rate movements could make servicing external debt burdensome.
• India’s debt service was 2% of the GNI in 2022.
• Impact: The debt servicing may crowd out spending on other development priorities.
• Due to a tighter monetary policy in advanced economies, there was a net outflow of over US$127 billion from LMICs as investors sought attractive returns in US and European bond
• The report recommends debt buybacks and exchanges, and exploring debt-for-nature swaps to combine debt relief with funding green projects.

Facts for Prelims (FFP)

Source: PIB

 Context: Melanistic tigers are found exclusively in the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha. STR harbours the only population of melanistic tigers in the world (10 out of 16 tigers in the park are melanistic)

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) issued a Standard Operating Procedure to safeguard these tigers, with Similipal identified as a distinct genetic cluster for conservation.

Funding under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats supports various conservation efforts in Similipal, including awareness programs, habitat management, protection, and infrastructure development.

Mapping

Source: TH

 Context: India has dispatched relief material worth $1 million to aid those affected by a major volcanic eruption in Papua New Guinea, particularly around Mount Ulawun. The eruption caused extensive damage, leading to the evacuation of over 26,000 people.

Papua New Guinea, in the southwestern Pacific, encompasses the eastern half of New Guinea and its offshore islands. A country of immense cultural and biological diversity, it’s known for its beaches and coral reefs.

It has several volcanoes primarily due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire. This region is characterized by intense tectonic activity, including the subduction of several tectonic plates beneath the Pacific Plate